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Thursday, June 30, 2016

Penguin Random House has entered into an agreement to sell travel
imprint Fodor’s to Internet Brands in a deal whose terms were not
disclosed.

Penguin Random House will still distribute Fodor’s print guides on behalf of Internet Brands.
Fodor’s will join the Los Angeles-based Internet Brands’ portfolio
which already includes travel websites such as FlyerTalk.com and
Wikitravel.org. While the company mostly focuses on digital, Internet
Brands has some experience in print through Nolo, its legal guidebooks
property.

Fodor’s published its first guidebook 80 years ago and has since
published titles on some 7,500 destinations around the globe. The
publisher currently has more than 150 travel guide in print, as well as
250 e-books and 25 mobile apps, as well as popular newsletters. The
publisher’s website has been around for 20 years and counts about 4.5
million monthly visitors.

“The Fodor’s name is legendary, and we have a deep appreciation for
its history and the direct impact Fodor’s has on the way people explore
new places,” stated Bob Brisco, CEO at Internet Brands.
“Internet Brands has a proven history of navigating legacy brands to
strong growth in the digital world. We’re confident that Internet Brands
is the ideal partner to ensure that the Fodor’s brand continues to
guide travelers for generations to come.”

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Noticeable of late is that print books are selling better than digital, and audio seems to be doing even better than that -- or so it seems, from observation of Amazon sales of Island of the Lost.

Well, surprise surprise, Amazon is behind this. According to a post on Digital Book World, audio is being pushed by the mega-selling internet site. Karen Commins is the commentator.

Most people (she says) don’t realize that Amazon has systematically acquired
companies and innovated technologies in order to push audiobooks into
mainstream entertainment.

In 2007, Amazon bought Brilliance Audio, which was the largest
independent producer of audiobooks in the country. At the time of the
purchase, Brilliance created 12 to 15 audiobooks per month, or no more
than 180 audiobooks a year. At the Audio Publishers Association
conference in May, a rep from Brilliance Audio commented that the
company now produces 2,000 audiobooks a year.

The next year, Amazon spent $300 million to buy Audible.com, which is
the world’s largest distributor of audiobooks. Audible’s 2008 catalog
had around 60,000 titles. Today, Audible’s title count is fast
approaching the quarter-million mark.

One reason for the dramatic uptick in title production is the
Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX), a site created in 2011 by
Amazon-owned Audible. ACX enables authors and other rights holders to
connect directly with narrators to produce audiobooks.

Before ACX appeared, indie authors had few chances to get their
titles into audio. Narrators also had limited prospects of working in
the industry. While some publishers hired narrators with home studios,
most audio productions were recorded and edited in the publishers’
locations. Now, though narrators across the United States and United
Kingdom are gaining work through ACX to produce audiobooks from our own
studios. As a result, ACX is responsible for one-fourth of the
audiobooks available for sale on Audible.

After ramping up audiobook production, Amazon’s next innovative move
was designed to generate a higher volume of sales of Audible audiobooks.
In 2012, Amazon announced Whispersync for Voice, a technology that
allows users to seamlessly switch between the Kindle ebook and the
Audible audiobook. They also could enjoy an immersive experience of
simultaneous reading and listening.
To ensure its customers would purchase both editions of the same
book, Amazon discounts the price of the audiobook after the Kindle book
is purchased, and audiobook aficionados take advantage of the combo
deal. In fact, many actively look for free or inexpensive Kindle books
just so they can get the audiobook at a cheaper price.

As of 2013, Amazon has also been offering consumers the Find Your
Match service, which scans through their Kindle library and shows them
the audiobooks available for the “upgrade.”
That same year Amazon bought the social media site Goodreads, as book
sales have always heavily relied on word-of-mouth recommendations. As DBW reported last year,
Amazon added audio samples of Audible books to the Goodreads site. Once
the user clicks on the sample, the audio plays, and a dialog box
appears offering the audiobook for free with 30-day trial on Audible.

Audiobook devotees always have been evangelists for the media, but
now Amazon is harnessing that enthusiasm to bring in new listeners. Just
like vendors in grocery stores who hand out free food hoping that you
will like it and buy it, Audible, through its members, is giving away
free audiobooks with no strings attached.

Last year, Audible implemented a program called Onebook, which
allowed its subscribers to send a book in their library to up to 10
people. If the recipients were not Audible subscribers and it was their
first Audible audiobook, they received a free audiobook.

The Onebook program was radically expanded and renamed in May. With
the current Send A Book initiative, the biggest change is that Audible
subscribers now can share a book in their library with up to 1,000
people. The recipients still can redeem only one free book, but they now
have the option to send it to people in their network. Recipients do
not need to create an Audible account, much less start an Audible 30-day
trial, as long as they have an existing account on Amazon.

In addition to enticing prospective buyers with free audiobooks,
Amazon has significantly increased Audible’s visibility through
advertising. Audible became a sponsor of the popular podcast Serial and the PBS TV show DowntonAbbey.

What’s more, Amazon is also trying to attract new audiobook listeners
by including audiobook offers with its hardware products. For instance,
a friend told me she recently bought Amazon’s Echo on QVC and received
two free audiobooks as part of the package.

Now that audiobooks are becoming mainstream entertainment, Audible
Studios is developing original material to appeal to a wider group of
listeners. One example is the highly acclaimed adaptation of Joe Hill’s
graphic novel Locke & Key. This full-cast recording
featuring more than 50 actors is complete with music and special
effects, and sounds like a blockbuster film. Audible also has paid movie
stars like Colin Firth and Kate Winslet to narrate traditional
audiobooks.

Sunday, June 26, 2016

Murder Suspect in Jo Cox Killing Bought Books From Nazi Group

Thomas
Mair, the suspect in the brutal murder of British Parliament member Jo
Cox, reportedly bought books on how to make guns from an extremist group
in the United States.
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a
non-profit that fights hate groups in the United States, Mair bought a
manual on how to make a homemade pistol from neo Nazi group the National
Alliance. The Guardian has the scoop:

He bought books that instructed readers on the “chemistry
of powder and explosives”, “incendiaries”, and a work called Improvised
Munitions Handbook. The handbook included detailed instructions on
constructing a pipe pistol using parts available in DIY stores.

Burmese Coast, 1944 . . . After four years, the tide of war
is turning in North Africa and Europe. The conflict in Southeast Asia,
however, has reached new heights of savagery. The Special Operations
mission off the Burmese coast requires volunteers. Both men with nothing
to live for as well as men with everything to lose. Men
like Lieutenant James Ross, awarded the Victoria Cross for his work in
underwater sabotage, or the desperate amateur Charles Villiers, heir to a
fortune now controlled by the Japanese. A two-man torpedo--The
Chariot--is the their ultimate weapon in a high-risk war. Cast loose
into the shadows before an eastern dawn, the heroes or madmen who guide
it will strike terror into the heart of an invulnerable enemy, or pay
the ultimate price for failure.

Praise for Douglas Reeman--

"Vivid naval action at its most authentic." --Sunday Times

"If
anyone deserves to be 'piped' into book­shops with full naval honours,
it is Douglas Reeman, without question master of both genres of naval
fiction-historical and modern." --Books Magazine

"Mr. Reeman writes with great ­knowledge about the sea and those who sail on it."
--The Times

Singapore, November 1941:
Lieutenant Ralph Trewin, proud recipient of the Distinguished Service
Cross, arrives in Singapore as second-in-command of the shallow-draught
gunboat, H.M.S. Porcupine. To Trewin, still suffering from
wounds received during the evacuation of Crete, the tiny British fleet
of antiquated river gun­boats appears wholly inadequate for what is to
come. And, everyone in the entire garrison seems inexperienced and naive
about the gravity of the threat approaching from the north.

Within
months Japan takes Singapore and the British lose their most important
outpost in Southeast Asia. Yet throughout a miserable and bloody
campaign Trewin and his captain learn to draw on each other's strengths
and weaknesses, and together forge the little gunboat into a symbol of
bravery and pride.

Thursday, June 23, 2016

As Britain’s EU referendum draws closer, The Economist will be on
hand with additional analysis up to, during and beyond the vote. So
whether you’re in, out or still sitting on the fence, we’ll have the
insights to keep you informed.

The Economist
is convinced that a decision to leave would be bad for Britain, Europe
and the world. But we also believe in the importance of objective
analysis and reasoned argument. To help you get the facts on the vote,
we’ve curated a collection of articles outlining why we believe it’s in
Britain’s interests to remain, along with additional articles on
Britain’s role in Europe. Read now by clicking on the image below:

In the days leading up to, and after June 23rd, you'll also be able to read our latest updates on the referendum for free via economist.com/brexit, so you can stay informed on virtually every aspect of the vote.

We
hope you will find our analysis thought provoking and useful. Remember
you can also join the debate via our social channels and website.

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Why did the master of a Russian cruise ship fail to
contact local coast radio stations as his ship was sinking, choosing
instead to communicate with a station in his homeland 10,000 miles away?

By David Smith

A few years ago a radio technician showed me a dirty and corroded
East German MT50 telegraph key, which his neighbour had salvaged while
diving on the wreck of the cruise ship Mikhail Lermontov.

The ship sank in an isolated bay on the sparsely populated northern
coast of the South Island of New Zealand. One crew member died at the
time of the grounding, but the remaining crew and passengers were all
rescued.

As I inspected the Morse key, I thought: “Could this key have helped save 738 lives?”

* * *

The Mikhail Lermontov, which had been built in East Germany
in 1972, sailed from Picton at 1500 hours. The local Harbourmaster and
senior harbour pilot, Captain Don Jamison, had arranged
that he would pilot the ship out of Picton and again at Milford Sound.
For the rest of the cruise to Sydney he would be on leave and would be a
passenger.

Just 15 minutes after leaving Picton, the 20,027 ton ship nearly
grounded in Shakespeare Bay due to the pilot being unaware that power to
the bow-thrusters had been switched off.

The vessel was quickly underway again, but at 1530 the ship’s Master, Captain Vladislav Vorobyov, warned the pilot about navigating too close to the shore.

Around 1630, Assistant Harbourmaster Gary Neill, who
had been receiving pilotage instruction, disembarked onto the pilot
launch and Captain Vorobyov left the bridge to get changed out of damp
clothing.

At approximately 1720 the vessel had reached the ‘pilotage limit’ and
Captain Jamison concluded his spoken commentary to the passengers. As
Captain Vorobyov had not returned to the bridge and the officer of the
watch did not assume control, Captain Jamison continued to supervise the
navigation of the vessel.

When the vessel was four nautical miles from Cape Jackson lighthouse,
the pilot made an instantaneous decision to deviate from the agreed
course, meaning that the ship would now have to pass between the
headland and the lighthouse. Mikhail Lermontov struck the bottom at 1737 local time.

At 1801 Captain Jamison called Picton Harbour Radio on VHF channel 16 saying:

This is a mayday situation – the Mikhail Lermontov – we
have struck a rock at Cape Jackson and we are proceeding to Port Gore.
Would you please advise Wellington we will require emergency services.
The vessel is in danger of sinking – the vessel is in danger of sinking.
Making water. Proceeding to Port Gore.

As this ‘Mayday situation’ message was being sent, the inter-island ferry Arahura – ZMBS was on her way from Wellington to Picton. On the bridge of Arahura, Second Officer James
was monitoring channel 16 when he heard ZLW say “Received Mayday,” and
from subsequent transmissions James learned that the cruise ship was in
trouble. Arahura called ZLW on 2182kHz, gave their position and stated that they were just over an hour away from the stricken vessel.

Arahura and Tarihiko immediately plotted new
courses towards the cruise ship, but at 1846 Captain Vorobyov ordered
the pilot to cancel the Mayday message.

David Hopgood, the R/O on Arahura repeatedly called the Mikhail Lermontov
on 500 kHz, but got no reply. The area where these vessels were sailing
is known as the Marlborough Sounds, which are deep inlets surrounded by
high hills. Naturally, VHF communication proved difficult.

Aboard Mikhail Lermontov, Captain Vorobyov had plans that
did not involve any rescue craft or coast radio stations. He intended to
beach his ship, transfer the passengers and crew ashore, and then bus
them to the town of Blenheim. He could not have known that an overland
trip to Blenheim would take at least four hours and much of the trip
would be on rough farm tracks and unsealed roads.

With the exception of one link call on R/T to the local Russian
Embassy, all local communications from the ship were conducted by the
New Zealand pilot on Channel 16 using the VHF radio that was installed
on the starboard side of the bridge. Other than calling ZLW to set up
the link call, there is no record of any of the officers or crew of the Mikhail Lermontov attempting to communicate with any local coast station, ship station or rescue craft.

Hopgood, the Arahura’s R/O, asked ZLW to ask Mikhail Lermontov to communicate with them on 2182kHz. This message was passed to the cruise ship via VHF. The pilot replied:

I’m not sure where 2182 is. I’ll see if I can locate it and if I get the chance I’ll call Arahura.

The radio room on the Mikhail Lermontov was actually very close, being along a short passageway off the chart room.

Mikhail Lermontov was very well equipped with radio
equipment. In 1972 the ship had visited London and a newspaper reporter
was alarmed by the number of radio aerials on the ship. His published
story said that, based on the photographs, Whitehall experts had
confirmed that the radio equipment carried was in excess of that needed
for a passenger liner – implying that the ship was involved in spying.

This was possibly journalistic hype. In 1986 the main radio room was
equipped with three teletype receivers, Satcom teletype equipment,
Satcom telephone equipment, HF transmitter, HF receiver, MF transmitter,
MF receiver, emergency receiver, “Corvette” transmitter (not in use),
weather facsimile receiver and other equipment. The emergency radio room
contained both MF and HF transmitters and receivers. Number-nine
lifeboat had a W/T and R/T installation and there were five portable
emergency radios onboard (apparently set to VHF channel 17). There were
two VHF radios on the bridge.

When the ship struck, R/O Derkachenko was on watch and he was soon joined by the three other radio officers. Chief R/O Moskovkin ordered R/O Anatoliy Krutkov to establish communication with Vladivostok and R/O Fyodorov and R/O Derkachenko to check the equipment for which they were responsible. W/T contact with Vladivostok was established, with Mikhail Lermontov – UQTT using 22236 kHz and Vladivostok Radio – UFL using 22435 kHz. UQTT then changed to 22273 kHz and UFL transmitted on 16955 kHz.

The Chief R/O established contact with the Russian Embassy in nearby
Wellington, initially using 2474 kHz / 2601 kHz via ZLW and subsequently
the Captain talked to Mr Ivanchishin, the local
Russian Ambassador using the satellite radiotelephone. Shortly
afterwards, the satellite radio-telephone was used to contact Mr Chistov,
the Deputy President of the Baltic Shipping Line in Leningrad and this
was followed by a radio-telegram sent by W/T to Radio Leningrad via
Vladivostok. It is interesting to note that R/O Krutkov omitted the
“number of words” in the telegram preamble as he said that there was not
enough time to count them!

After transmitting this telegram, the ship’s main power supply failed
and the emergency supply cut in. R/O Derkachenko was already manning
the emergency radio room when the main radio equipment ceased to
function. After asking the Captain for further instructions, CR/O
Moskovkin ordered his staff to take the radio log and go to their
abandon-ship muster stations. R/O Fyodorov took the log with him to the
number-nine lifeboat. R/O Krutov was assigned to No. 1 lifeboat, but
instead of going to muster stations he went to the emergency radio room,
which was by that time deserted.

Remembering the frequencies that UFL had designated earlier, Krutov
established communication with Vladivostok. The signal from UFL was very
weak (QSA1 to QSA2), and even fainter when 12955 kHz was tried. Staff
Captain Georgy Melnik appeared at the door and said: “The Captain has given instructions for the SOS signal to be sent.”

Krutov keyed SOS on 22273 kHz,
telling UFL that the passengers and crew were abandoning ship into the
lifeboats but he did not have the exact ship’s position. UFL constantly
interrupted to say that they were having trouble receiving and UQTT did
not receive an acknowledgement for the SOS message.

Krutov then went to the port wing of the bridge and reported to
Captain Vorobyov that an SOS message had been transmitted. The Captain
ordered him to abandon ship.

Krutov said that as far as he knew there were no other distress
signals transmitted on W/T, R/T or VHF. It is amazing that the SOS was
sent to a coast station 10,000 miles distant when ZLW was just 35 miles
away.

Following the cancellation of the Pilot’s ‘Mayday situation’ message, Arahura had proceeded to the nearby port of Picton to discharge passengers and vehicles.

Luckily, Captain John Reedman of the LPG tanker Tarihiko had chosen to ignore advice to proceed with his voyage, and so was close to the stricken vessel.

Tarihiko was not equipped with wireless telegraphy so their
radio communications were conducted from the bridge. Realising the
severity of the situation, the ship’s electrician placed a cassette
recorder next to the VHF radio to record the radio traffic and bridge
orders.

Despite the Russian captain never reactivating the Mayday status, or
even issuing a Pan message, at 2014 the Wellington Rescue Co-ordination
Centre ordered Arahura to proceed at full speed to the distress scene. Arahura had left Picton 19 minutes earlier, bound for Wellington and she arrived close to the Mikhail Lermontov at 2135, immediately assuming control as the on-scene co-ordination vessel.

Attempts to beach the ship were unsuccessful and at 2250 hours she sank some distance from the shore.

The passengers and surviving crew had been transferred by lifeboats to Tarihiko and Arahura.Arahura lowered her own lifeboats to the waterline, the survivors transferred from the liner’s lifeboats to Arahura’s
boats, which were then winched up to the level of the boat deck. Due to
shortage of manpower, Radio Officer David Hopgood ceased radio watch
and assisted embarking the rescued passengers and crew.

The passengers were mainly Australian senior-citizens. One man was
laughing uncontrollably and proved difficult to get aboard. David
resorted to slapping him across the face and said: “Why are you
laughing?”

The Australian ignored the physical treatment and replied “I’ve been
on the piss (i.e. booze) ever since leaving Sydney ten days ago and now
my wine bill is sitting at the bottom of the sea!”

Arahura, being the on-site control vessel, tried
unsuccessfully to open a direct link with the Rescue Control Coordinator
in Wellington, using the ship’s ‘Sea Phone’. The Sea Phone was a VHF
service run by the ship’s owners through a repeater on Hawkins Hill
overlooking Cook Strait. It connected five onboard telephones directly
to the New Zealand Railways telephone network, and calls could be linked
through to the Post Office telephone system. It performed very well in
Cook Strait, but could be unreliable in the Marlborough Sounds area.

By the time the last survivor was rescued, there were several other
vessels on the scene. These included a Navy patrol vessel, two cement
carriers, a police launch and a number of fishing and pleasure boats.

Shore communications were being handled by Wellington Radio – ZLW, Picton Harbour Radio and Cape Jackson Radio – ZLJU.

Cape Jackson Radio was a privately owned station that supported local
inshore fishing vessels, usually using VHF channels 16 and 63. The
operators were members of the Baker family. This family had seen the Mikhail Lermontov sail past their farmhouse a little earlier and had called the pilot on channel 16 to tell him what a grand sight it was.

They were preparing to sit down for their evening meal when they
heard the distant noise of the ship grounding. After hearing the pilot’s
message to Picton Harbour Radio, they relayed to the pilot information
about the best place to beach the vessel.

David Baker, along with two other family members,
grabbed a portable VHF radio and went on their farm bikes to high ground
overlooking Port Gore to relay information regarding the ship. Tony and Betty Baker
remained at their radio console, keeping constant watch until well into
the next day. Knowing nearly all the skippers and captains personally,
they were kept very busy relaying traffic.
Tony and Betty’s expertise in radio operating and in directing the
two dozen local fishing vessels engaged in rescue operations was
absolutely essential for the success of this operation. Tony and Betty
Baker were later awarded Queen’s Service Medals.

Picton Harbour Radio was being manned by Police Constable Bill Gibb
(who had at one time been in the Merchant Navy) and Assistant Harbour
Master Gary Neill, who had just arrived back on the pilot launch from
the cruise ship.

At 1915, Navy patrol vessel HMNZS Taupo – ZMZN was proceeding out of Wellington harbour under the command of 26 year old Lt. Peter Batcheler. Aboard Taupo, radio operator APO David Trigg received a signal from Naval HQ directing them to the distress scene.

Due to the other vessels being in the shadow of Cape Jackson, HMNZS Taupo began working as a radio relay station. When it appeared that she might be needed as a tug, Taupo raced towards the stricken vessel at 19 knots and passed the radio relay duties to the cement carrier Golden Bay – GZAS.

Taupo kept in contact with ZLW and Arahura on 2182kHz. Taupo also called Mikhail Lermontov on 2182kHz and Channel 16, but could not contact the vessel.

All of the rescue vessels were equipped with VHF R/T and all the ships and some of the boats were equipped with MF R/T. Only Mikhail Lermontov, Arahura and Wellington Radio could communicate on the 405 –525kHz W/T band. Although HMNZS Taupo was fitted with wireless telegraphy, she could not transmit W/T on MF (500kHz).

At 1937, Tarihiko logged the weather as “Wind SE 25 knots,
moderate to heavy driving rain, visibility 2 to 3 miles, with seas
choppy in Port Gore”. Later that evening, visibility decreased, there
was no moon and many of those at the helm of lifeboats and other small
craft were having trouble navigating their boats.

The Arahura’s R/O, David Hopgood, reported: “The evacuation
results could easily have been reversed if the weather had continued to
deteriorate”.

356 of the Mikhail Lermontov’s passengers and crew were transferred to Tarihiko and another 381 were transferred to the larger Arahura. One Australian man who had fallen from a lifeboat was rescued by HMNZS Taupo.
The rescuers had great difficulty determining the number of people who
had been aboard the cruise liner and were also having trouble counting
the survivors.

With the survivors embarked, David Hopgood returned to Arahura’s
radio room. Suddenly the door burst open and in came Captain Vorobyov,
accompanied by the Communist Party representative. “Get Vladivostok on
the phone,” he ordered. Arahura was equipped with HF R/T and
the request was quite feasible, but Hopgood decided that a phone patch
through to the local Russian Embassy might be a better idea.

Afterwards, Captain Vorobyov went to the bridge and requested to use
the VHF to communicate with the portable radios carried by his officers.
He gave instructions for a crew role call to be carried out.

Just after midnight David Hopgood keyed a message to ZLW, which
stated that 37 passengers from the cruise liner were unaccounted for. It
was assumed that one lifeboat was missing. It was not until several
hours later that it was discovered that the passenger list had not been
updated since the vessel left Auckland and thus was quite inaccurate.

At 0157 Arahura left for Wellington and the cement carrier Milburn Carrier – ZMER took over as on-scene control vessel.

One of the busiest men that night was Captain John Reedman of Tarihiko.
His was the first vessel on the scene and there were hundreds of radio
messages to and from his vessel. The vessel arrived with her two motor
lifeboats swung out, ready to be launched. It appeared to them that the
liner was attempting (unsuccessfully) to ferry passengers ashore.

Captain Reedman later said: “To my absolute amazement I received a
message from the pilot aboard the Mikhail Lermontov saying that the
Master did not wish to use our lifeboats.”

Fifty minutes later, he decided to ignore this and launched the port
lifeboat. The liner’s lifeboats started arriving on their starboard
side, so their other lifeboat was not launched.

Staff Captain Georgy Melnik was in charge of one of the lifeboats and before he took the lifeboat back to Mikhail Lermontov, he went to Tarihiko’s
bridge to use their VHF radio (presumably on channel 17) to communicate
with Captain Vorobyov. At one time it was suggested that Tarihiko
also take on the role of radio relay between 2182kHz and Channel 16.
However this was not possible as the vessel only had a crew of 18 and in
the circumstances there was nobody available to undertake the task. All
of Captain Reedman’s officers and many of his crew were either manning
the vessel’s port lifeboat or engaged in embarking the rescued aboard.

He was doing an amazing job navigating his vessel in the confined
waters, having to keep a very busy radio watch and also be host to 356
unexpected guests.

At 2120 ZLW called saying that they had two messages for the Tarihiko on 2MHz. Tarihiko replied that they were too shorthanded to receive them.

Chief R/O Moskovkin was one of those aboard Tarihiko and he
went to the bridge asking to speak to the Russian Ambassador on VHF.
Captain Reedman relayed this, but ZLW declined the request, saying: “You
would need Radphone to do that.”

The following night, after Tarihiko had resumed her voyage,
the BBC was successful in getting a Radfone call through to the ship,
presumably to interview her Master. Captain John Reedman’s efforts were
recognised and he was later awarded the Queen’s Service Medal.

Tarihiko and Arahura arrived in Wellington before
dawn the next morning. The passengers and crew were disembarked –
Captain Vorobyov being escorted ashore by Communist Party officials,
while Captain Jamison slipped ashore unnoticed. The crew were flown back
to Russia and most of the passengers back to Australia.

Captain Jamison surrendered his Pilot’s Licence, but got it back
later. He returned to his job as Harbourmaster and later went back to
sea.

Captain Vorobyov was eventually permitted to return to sea and a few
years ago was in command of a cargo vessel on the African coast.

Following an enquiry by Soviet officials, the Chief Navigator,
Sergey Stephanishchev, who was on the bridge at the time of the
grounding, received a four-year suspended prison sentence.

A preliminary enquiry was held in Wellington, but possibly due to
political pressure and secret negotiations, no public court of enquiry
was convened.

The above statement covers serious areas, but without a full discussion, (they) could easily be swept under the carpet.

These were prophetic words from the Arahura’s Radio Officer –
for many of the problems relating to the incident did get swept under
the carpet and then the edges of the carpet were firmly nailed down!If a similar incident happened in the future, then because of
GMDSS, VHF repeaters, cell-phones, satellite links, etc, perhaps the
rescue would be easier to co-ordinate. A colleague who is employed as a
tutor in maritime radio communication procedures disagrees with this,
saying that the skill level of those operating radio aboard ships is
lower than it was in 1986.

India is home to the highest number of people who have died while
taking photos of themselves, with 19 of the world's 49 recorded
selfie-linked deaths since 2014, according to San Francisco-based data
service provider Priceonomics. The statistic may in part be due to
India's sheer size, with 1.25 billion citizens and one of the world's
fastest-growing smartphone markets.

Earlier this month, an 18-year-old uni student on a class
picnic lost his balance while taking a selfie on top of a rock near a
dam near the central Indian city of Nashik. He fell into the water and
drowned, along with a classmate who jumped in to try and save him.

Last
month, an 18-year-old woman fell and drowned in the sea while taking a
photo of herself at Mumbai's Bandstand Fort, a popular tourist spot.

An
engineering student sustained fatal head injuries when a rock he was
standing on cracked and sent him tumbling. He'd been trying to take a
selfie with friends in front of the Kolli Hills in Tamil Nadu.

And in January 2014, three students aged 20 to 22 died when they
stopped to take a photo with a speeding train approaching, and were hit.
They'd been on their way to visit the Taj Mahal.

In Mumbai,
police have declared selfies off-limits in areas perceived as risky -
particularly along the coastline in spots with no railings or barriers.
Anyone venturing into off-limits areas, even if they take no photos,
risks being slapped with a fine of 1200 rupees, or about NZD$25.

After
a woman's death last month, the city's police conducted a survey to
identify such dangerous places, police official Dhananjay Kulkarni said.
The city also plans to run an awareness campaign.

Despite
clearly marked signs demarking the selfie-free zones, people can still
be seen clicking away, and often going to the edges or standing on
ledges to get the most thrilling shots.

"When you are travelling
alone, and do not have anyone to take your pictures, then it's only
selfie," said Murtuza Rangwala, a student in Mumbai.

And I love the analysis

Mumbai
psychologist Keerti Sachdeva said she doesn't expect the constant
pursuit of selfies to end any time soon, saying one probable reason is
the need for acceptance and love.

"You know people have this sort
of feeling in adolescent age, especially that they need to get this
acceptance from everyone, that I am a smart person, I am a good-looking
person," Sachdeva said.

"So for acceptance and recognition they are indulging in taking of selfies."3
-AAP

Thursday, June 16, 2016

June 25, 9:30 to 11:30 am, I will be at the wonderful Odyssey bookstore in Papeete, Tahiti, signing books, and getting acquainted with the proprietors of the store, the publishers of the French edition, and (hopefully) the talented translators of this edition.

It's the French edition of the story of an amazing Tahitian, Tupaia, priest and master navigator, who shipped on the Endeavour with Joseph Banks and Captain Cook, and suffered privations that he could not possibly have imagined before he embarked on this stunning adventure.

Monday, June 13, 2016

Amazon is being accused of "trading on people's
forgetfulness" by billing people for an annual membership for Amazon
Prime after a free 30-day trial.

Online shoppers are being warned to watch out for
Amazon's premium service which users say stung them with an annual
membership fee without adequate warning.

Two Wellington users
were shocked to discover debits of around $150 on their accounts last
month, only to learn they'd chewed through a 30-day free trial of a
service called Amazon Prime, then were billed for a year.

"I think they should make the cost more obvious, and they should let you know they'll sting you for $150 after a month."

The
second customer, who did not want to be named, didn't even realise the
free trial had been triggered when she purchased a book a month earlier,
and happened to spot the charge on her bank statement.

"It said something really strange and I couldn't make out what it was," said the woman.

"When
I talked to a guy [at her New Zealand bank], before he even had a look
he said, 'I'll tell you what I think it is, Amazon Prime'. He said 'this
happened to me as well,' then he checked and confirmed it was Amazon.
​
"My memory is I unticked [the box] but maybe I didn't properly," she said.

Others across the world claim they've been stung by the fee after their Amazon Prime trial ran out.

Countless Britons have complained about being stung by a £79 fee for the service once their trial ran out.

No one from Amazon responded to requests for comment, and the service continues despite complaints dating back to 2009.

Last
year, Britain's Advertising Standards Authority banned Amazon from
sending an advertisement to customers promoting a "free trial" of
its Prime service.

Despite small print, customers complained they
were unaware they would be charged £79 for the service after the free
trial period ended and the advertisement was ruled misleading after six
complaints were upheld.

The online retailer's Prime service boasts
free two-day shipping, music and video streaming services, an online
photo-storage service and other perks outside of the website's standard
free membership.

The service costs US$99/year, so what Kiwis are charged differs based on the exchange rate.

However many of the perks, including the two-day free shipping and music streaming service, are not available to New Zealanders.

"Be
careful about the Prime business – New Zealanders don't get all the
perks from it, and it's a hefty one-off cost," Fitzsimons said.

The
Wellington woman felt Amazon should notify people when the trial runs
out and advised people against signing on for Amazon Prime.

"It's a rip-off. A whole year comes out of your account and there's no good reason for that."

Amazon
offers users the option of opting-in to a notification email three days
before the trial expires, but this must be done in your account
settings.

"Given so many of Amazon's clients will be from other
countries than the States, they need to have something clearly on there
to say you don't get this to NZ," she said.

Both users were refunded, but still lost about $9, likely due to changes in the currency conversion or fees.

The
Office of the Banking Ombudsmen had dealt with one case related to
Amazon Prime in the 2014/15 financial year, communications advisor Emma
Reilly said.

The ombudsmen deals with unresolved disputes between individuals and their banks.